London’s Jamal Edward is a legend who will be missed by generations
I could not believe my eyes when I saw the news that Jamal Edwards had passed away, at the tender age of 31 years old, which we later found out was of a heart attack. The last pic I had seen him post was from The Brits on LinkedIn. Despite a slow start to the year (in his words), he bounced back with his usual infectious enthusiasm and unbelievable talent to make things happen, which had become his signature move.
Jamal Edwards started SBTV at 15 years old
I first started following Jamal when he first set up SBTV online, to discover new music artists. In his words, he had started creating content and creating a platform for friends wanting to know how to get on MTV. Having worked at MTV, I knew this conversation only too well. Jamal at 15 years old, started a music empire with a £20 phone, that would kickstart and elevate so many people’s careers, including Ed Sheeran.
Music Legacy that is SBTV
SBTV has attracted millions of fans with its YouTube channel around 1.22 million subscribers. Stormzy, Rita Ora, Jessie J and London Hughes are all artists and entertainers who have appeared on the channel.
The name of the channel is taken from Jamal’s own name ‘SmokeyBarz’ which he used when first launching the channel. The reason SBTV is so important is that it gave new artists a platform as they were starting out, also inspiring a generation who saw better representation in this space. Jamal was a young entrepreneur who inspired people such as Steven Bartlett, and many others, encouraging them to forge their own paths.
Jamal’s mother releases a statement
Jamal’s mother is none other than Brenda, who appears on Loose Women. She released a statement with Good Morning Britain.
The statement reads: “It is with the deepest heartache that I confirm that my beautiful son Jamal Edwards passed away yesterday morning after a sudden illness.
“Myself, his sister Tanish and the rest of his family and friends are completely devastated. He was the centre of our world,” it read.
Jamal lived in Acton, his home town where a memorial has been set up last year.
Vicky Hope on Good morning Britain led the condolences.
Jamal was the ‘ambassador of a new generation’, says Prince Charles.
Jamal was the face of a new generation, but his legacy will live on for many generations more. As an ambassador for the Prince’s Trust, a youth charity run by Prince Charles, he was responsible for inspiring a generation on how to set up and run their own businesses.
Jamal was appointed an MBE for services to music in 2014.
Jamal heads up mental health campaign
Not only did Jamal champion the music industry, but also became a face to front an important mental health campaign. SBTV founder Jamal Edwards is on a mission to break the stigma around mental illness. In this documentary, Jamal meets musicians such as Dave, Sasha Keable & more plus health professionals to talk about the influence of social media, the pressure of being in the public eye and why musicians are three times more likely to suffer from depression than the general public.